A guy with pink headsets

Interview with Dave M that chronicles his career, his injury and his recent amputation of his lower leg and what he hopes for in the future …

It ain’t the classiest of joke but a few of us have already wondered when it will be where Dave comes rolling by us in a race. 

Interesting podcast from “the Tinman.”  He gets a bit off the rails at times, but it is clearly because he has a deep passion for the game.  Lots if interesting nuggets regarding training in there.  His website also has some good calculators.

Been plugging some good runs in the last few days.  I sort of at a life point of where I expect it.  I tried to really tap into the idea that it should not be taken for granted.

Scientific signs of aging

I eyeballed JZ’s first run with a HR monitor … his easy 25 minute run had an AHR of 193.  And it was an easy run (over 8 minute pace for almost all of it).  What is mind boggling about that is a HR I can’t even achieve.

Mid day I got out and did a 20 minute tempo run (3 miles).  There is not a lot of room between tempo and racing.  That pretty much spells it out right there. 

Week end update

The boy turns 16 this week.  We celebrated this weekend.

We picked him up a GPS so he could join the ranks of runners who over analyze everything.


The BrHS girls got a slot to NXN.  They are going to Portland.

It was a pretty tense week for them to wait this out to find out if they had the slot.  Most folks thought it was a no brainer that they’d get in, but they still had to wait it out.  They got the news Saturday night.  It was pretty exciting times for them.

Another 70 mile week for me and I played around at Teller Farm again today.  It actually feels like fall now.

The week included the Turkey Trot 5k, some turnover sessions earlier in the week (Mon, Tues) and some work at altitude when we hit the mountains for the weekend.  It is pretty amazing how little snow is up there.  I ran through a lot of the old mine equipment, enjoying the fact that I was finding new trails even though I have been puttering around up there for close to a decade now.

Good interview with Alex Hutchinson over on the Final Surge Podcast.

I’ll put a plug in for Andy:  guy has a passion for Leadville and is looking to bring his love for that game to coach those that want to be a part of that nuttiness.  Good luck man. 

Weird setting Christmas without KZ.

19:18

19:18.  I thought breaking 19 would be a successful day.  I came up short, faltering in the second mile as we headed west into the wind and on the slight uphill. 

No results posted for this one … you get what you pay for I guess.

No stoked about the result, but not surprised either.  I do find it hard to dig, that is tap into a next level of effort.  I am not sure if that is physical, mental or some combination of both.  Whatever, I will just need to work at it.  The wind and colder temps did me no favors as the splits show but I can only use that (and the cold I am nursing) as so much of an excuse.  I am where I am. 

Huge turn out for this.  I put myself up in the first few rows and it was packed up like any major road race.  The start had me refamiliarizing myself with such affairs as I am out of practice with that.  Even though I was not far off the start line it still took a few seconds for me to cross the line.  JZ learned the lesson of starting way back as it took him 90 seconds to cross, and TZ took 3 minutes!  It all sort of reminded me of the Manchester Road Race, a race I did many times as a high school kid.  Crowded super fast start, loads of people, trying to maintain a position, stuttering through at different paces to find a gap … on a cold fall day where you were going to eat way too much later (GREAT finish there today by the way).  I think we’d even go and watch a football game at the HS later that day, but I might be making that up.

On the plus side I did beat the kid who took second in the 5A XC champs last year.  Mind you he was essentially walking, having a conversations with a dozen people and stopping for pix, but I’ll take the W. 

Today’s humor.

Throwing Copper

Got this from JV:

Out for about an hour today versus the typical 80-90 minutes I have been pulling.  I figured I ought to go a little less in case I do race tomorrow (which given I went through the registration I am likely to do). 

Regarding the race tomorrow, I was going to do the local Broomfield race, but they wanted 40 bucks for a 5k and 50 for the 10k.  Uh, no thanks.  There is a free run over in Louisville.  Well, you do need to bring a non perishable to the food bank, but that is a helluva lot better than 40 bones.  Still would love to see something like Parkrun take off over on this side of the pond.

Early pundits have the BrHS XC girls likely to get an at large bid.   

Today’s listening included listening to another Gimlet media production, “Homecoming” and revisiting some Live, Throwing Copper.

Crimes and climbs

Today actually felt like a fall day.  So far it seems like we have only had a long summer with one day of winter thrown in.

Even though I did some longer strides yesterday (read, 200s on the track), the cooler weather had me itching to do some more challenging (read not faster) work.  I took to a loop at a local park.  It came in to be a third of a mile on the nose, with a combination of turns, sidewalk, grass, downhill and uphill.  Essentially a meaningless loop … except I have visions of doing it again and making it a standard by which I can test myself.  By test myself I mean seeing if I can improve in terms of the overall speed I can hold on these, the number I drum myself into doing, etc.  I did five today, starting at over 2 minutes and eventually carving down to under that on the last.  Again, not quick, but a start to carve from.

My ability to dig and crush myself seems to be compromised though.   I am not sure if this is physical – as in that I am just not fit enough to do stupid stuff to turn myself into jelly … or if it is mental – as in that I have for whatever reason lost a drive that I once had to stick my hand into the fire as much.  Regardless of the reason, I am hardly sore or beat down day after day, and so I am wondering if I ought to be going at it more often in a week (say four or five days rather than a traditional two or three). 

On today’s run, I listened to Gimlet Media’s new show:  Crimetown.  It delves into the organized crime scene of Providence RI over through the story of its mayor Buddy Cianci.  Considered me hooked to this one. 

This is a pretty cool project. 

Exercise update

I got 71 miles last week.  Those were pretty decent miles too.  None of it was padded with dog or donkey runs (Bob is quick to point out those don’t count for much except for dog and donkey racing).  I came crashing into the weekend with a fever and my nose running like a faucet but holding it together otherwise.

So, where am I at?  My ego is a bit reluctant to reveal such matters.  I did a 5:25 mile the other day.  Quarters on my own seem to come in around 80 and 200s around 38.  Easy running on flats can be 7:20 or 8:30 depending on the day and if I have been taking care of myself (read – sleeping well, hydrating well, avoiding excess food and beer).  Tempo work is coming in at 6:15 to 6:50 … again also depending on the day.  Sub 5 for the mile … if I were not me but rather coaching me, I’d probably encourage that goal but call it a very long shot and be thinking it is unlikely.  In any case, it is only going to come one way if it comes at all and that is with doing the work.

I am on the fence if I will race on Thursday.  If I still have this fever, I probably won’t. 

The BrHS teams headed to Nike XC Regionals (NXR) Southwest in Arizona this past weekend.  Our boys sent a partial squad and they raced in the open race.  It served as the capstone to their season.  The girls are a nationally ranked squad and were competing for a qualifier to Nationals (in Portland) in a couple of weeks.  Top two teams make it automatically.

Unfortunately, we came up a bit short and finished third, behind Mountain Vista (who the girls beat at the State meet) and national powerhouse Desert Vista.  A third place finish means that rather than get an automatic qualifier we’ll have to see if the girls are one of four squads that are given an at large berth to the national show.   The selection committee does not make any decisions until after the final regional meets this coming weekend … so we practice until we find out.

Otherwise …

Century Camper Award

Since JZ started Scouts (not Cub Scouts, but Boy Scouts) he has had his eye on an award that his troop gives:  the century camper award.  To earn it, a Scout has to camp at least 100 nights with the Troop.  Camping has to be under the stars or in shelters the Scouts have put up (like tents or snow caves).  For JZ it has meant a lot of nights in tents, in snow caves, on the decks of boats, in other countries, on backpacking trips over the Continental Divide. 

The fact that the award is a knife with the Scout’s name on makes it all the more coveted. 

He got his award tonight at the Troop’s Court of Honor.  He is the 14th recipient of the award in his Troop.

XC Banquet

The season is not over for a couple of handful of kids, but most finished up at the conference meet almost a month ago now.  We wrapped up the season with a banquet at the HS cafeteria, pot luck style. 

It was a good night in that it gave the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the kids and the team.  XC is a long season.  For a lot of these kids they started in June and some are still grinding away.

JZ came up short of earning his letter … 3 seconds shy of the standard and thus was the “first” kid outside those ranks.  He awarded “most improved.” 

There was of course recognition of the teams.  The boys taking second in the region to make it to state … and the dominance of the girls.  They have not lost a race in CO in two years, and have won the state meet the last two years in a row.  Pretty lucky to have been a part of that ride!

Weekend update

Kids on the BrHS team are prepping for NXR.  It is a race they will run down in AZ at the end of next week.  The workout on Thursday was a little blowout at the park in a mile time trial.  I decided to jump in.  I had 10 miles on my legs on the day, but I was curious enough to toe the line anyway. 

I thought I’d feel the days effort and because of that I’d go out carefully and try to negative split it, but with the “GO” I just jumped at it.  I came through in 400 meters in 75 seconds and I knew I was well over my head.  I was already in debt – certainly not a prep for a good second half.  Ah well.  800 was hit in 2:33 – and so reflecting a 78 for the second quarter.  I could feel the wheels coming off.  I have no actual split for the third quarter but I am gathering from Strava data that it was just under 4 minutes – an 86!!  It got no better for the last and I finished in 5:25. 

Not great, but on a 10 mile day before that, and that I came out it without blowing up my calves (like the last time I ran a 5:25 in the spring) – I was pretty happy.  I still think with some focus on this distance, good build up, some weight loss, I could be dancing with a sub 5 – but it is a long 25 seconds to get to that.  The idea is smoldering in the back of the head. 

Friday I headed out of town for our annual Scout Turkey Dutch Oven campout.  This is the campout where we go over the top with the gear, the tent, and the food.  Add in archery, the black powder shooting, tomahawk throwing for activities, along with flag retirement and it is an awesome weekend.  About 100 of us in the mix …

Week mileage was a bit suppressed because of the campout but not bad.  I felt a bit more comfortable in getting in double digit days on single runs, rather than collecting that over multiple runs.  The mile was fun on Thursday, and even though I was a bit spent on Sunday I got a bit of a track workout in.  It was not pretty but I need to work on start on something … again.  It is easy to see how a not great workout can lead to not wanting to do it … but it is plowing through these that is necessary to get some results, even if that result is not slipping backwards.  The good news as of late is that hip seems to be clearing up well now.

Ms. Potatohead

I keep bugging KZ for some of the pix she has taken in her Europe travels but she has been pretty stingy with them.  In fact when I asked her for a recent shot, she sent me this: 

Damn smarty pants teenagers.

More seriously, she does seem to be having a great time and enjoying the experience of Europe.

And from her internship at a local German hospital.

Another 10 today.  My calves are a bit sore but mostly that is from the renewed stimulus of running.

I really hope I am wrong but all of you who have been direly waiting for the end of this season of America on Tuesday are due for a surprise come Wednesday and beyond.  Don’t expect a cliff hanger either.

When in Rome …

It was a good week of running.  It was the first one in quite a while and I pretty happy with that.  The hip is not 100 percent in the clear but my doctoring of my right shoe with the creation of a home made wedge seems to be helping (or perhaps hiding) that problem to manageable levels.  I got in over seventy on the week, a few single runs over 10 miles, some tempo work and a few shorter efforts at sub six pace.  Again, nothing amazing but enough to get me thinking of some possibilities again.  If I can keep this glued together for a few weeks, I will probably line up for Thanksgiving Day racing  - admittedly with low expectations however.

So the goal here will to build on that a bit in terms of getting a touch more quality in that, and maybe make some of the runs that I do a bit longer (probably not increasing overall weekly miles in as much as reducing the number of runs).

Meanwhile … KZ made a pass through Italy.

Today’s listening was rediscovering one of my favorite albums from the 90s … Candlebox …

I have also been digging the new Metallica.  I also dig “Blood Eagle Wings” by Anthrax but if I never see that video again it will be too soon.

I’m gettin’ bettah …

Got out with Bob and Neeraj today for a good chunk (10.5).  Nothing spectacular but represents a little victory me in that it was a nice double digit run for me without the hip barking too much or me falling apart over it (or making it happen in two runs).  I guess you can say I felt good.

Yesterday I ran with the team, including doing 5 sets 300-200-100 on 100 rest.  I was happy to run with one of the kids that was going just under six minute pace for the first four.  They then got the green light to cut loose on set five.  And they proceeded to blow my doors off at sub five minute pace.  I got some work to do.